The cost of the Pirates' new Dominican academy will be $4 to $5 million, Dejan Kovacevic reports. I saw that figure and immediately wondered whether $4 to $5 million could make a good Dominican academy, and apparently it can. Here's another article by Kovacevic from back in September:
Reliever Salomon Torres, who recently built two academies in his homeland that are used by other Major League Baseball teams, estimated it will take at least $3 million. The New York Mets' new facility, an unusually lavish place that includes a golf course, cost $7.5 million.
The Rays are paying only $3 to $4 million for their new academy.
That's all Google could turn up. Anyway, this may not be the Rolls Royce of Dominican academies, but it's not a Yugo either, and if the Bucs spend their money well, it should get them from Point A to Point B as long as they're willing to shell out for bonuses. That's a big "if," but still, this new academy could be a huge step in the right direction.